Iodophor compositions useful as bactericides, such as surgical hand-scrubbing solutions, have been previously disclosed. Iodine has been widely used in the past for bactericides since elemental iodine is very effective in killing a wide variety of germs and bacteria. Some known iodophor germicidal compositions have lacked adequate stability since normal aging converts elemental iodine into iodide ions thereby causing a loss of efficacy. Due to this natural tendency of elemental iodine to dissociate into iodide ions, it has been suggested to add oxidizing agents to the germicidal composition in order to reconvert the iodide ions into elemental iodine.
The present invention provides improved stability in comparison to known germicidal iodophor compositions.